Taxpayers face £7MILLION bill to upgrade front door to House of Lords

Fury as taxpayers face eye-watering £7MILLION bill to upgrade the front door to the House of Lords

Taxpayers are facing a £7million bill to upgrade the front door to the House of Lords, it was revealed today.   

The ‘enormous’ sum for overhauling the Peers’ Entrance – said to be more than triple the initial estimate – has been condemned by politicians.

They are also angry that the House authorities are refusing to disclose precise details of the costs, claiming it could undermine security.

Bills for repairs and restoration work at Parliament have repeatedly soared, including the recent refurb of the Elizabeth Tower.    

The ‘enormous’ sum for overhauling the Peers’ Entrance (pictured) – said to be more than triple the initial estimate – has been condemned by politicians

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, chair of the Conservative group, has been seeking clarification from the Parliamentary authorities – and said the lack of transparency was ‘completely unacceptable’

The Peers’ Entrance is the main access point at the House of Lords, and the project is intended to beef up security.

Work is slated to start in the coming weeks, but the bill has escalated due to delays and clashes with other plans. There are concerns members will be left queuing outside.

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, chair of the Conservative group, has been seeking clarification from the Parliamentary authorities – and said the lack of transparency was ‘completely unacceptable’.

He told the Telegraph: ‘At a time of great pressure on public expenditure it is surely right for taxpayers and Members of Parliament to be told what is being spent when the sums involved are so enormous. 

‘The Peers’ Entrance door at £7million should surely be worthy of the Guinness Book of Records.’

Tory peer Lord Dobbs added: ‘I am very mystified by the costs. They appear to be escalating as we breathe but nobody seems to be getting Parliament’s permission.’

Replying to a written question from Lord Forsyth, Lord Gardiner of Kimble, the senior Deputy Speaker, said: ‘The cost of works to replace the door at Peers’ Entrance has increased due to delays caused by issues unearthed during initial surveys and other works taking place in the nearby area. Increases were also caused by inflation, which meant tender returns came back higher than estimated.

‘For security reasons, the Houses do not publish capital expenditure on security mitigating projects as providing this level of detail could enable an individual to infer the extent and nature of the works, and thus the vulnerabilities which they were intended to mitigate.’

A Lords spokesman said: ‘Parliament is committed to ensuring the safety of everyone on the Parliamentary estate, the project at Peers Entrance is an important part of that commitment. 

‘For security reasons we do not publish, or comment on, the costs of capital security work.’ 

A committee hearing yesterday was told it is costing £2million a week to keep the Palace of Westminster safe.

Sir John Benger, Clerk of the House of Commons, said that continuing to delay a decision over Parliament’s upgrades could have a catastrophic impact.

He told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) the historic Thames-side landmark was currently safe to work in but ‘is in a condition of decay in certain key areas’.

The asbestos problem on the Parliamentary Estate is said to be ‘enormous’.

Commons Clerk John Benger told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday that the Palace of Westminster was currently safe to work in but ‘is in a condition of decay in certain key areas’

He warned MPs and peers are likely to ‘be here for a good few years’ after the Commons and Lords decided to take the restoration and renewal of Parliament ‘in-house’ in the summer when scrapping the sponsor body previously overseeing the project. 

‘If we just wait and wait, and defer and defer, eventually there will be catastrophic and irreversible damage to the Palace, which is part of an Unesco world heritage site,’ he said.

MPs and peers had agreed in 2018 a plan that would see both the Commons and Lords move to temporary facilities near the existing site, a ‘full decant’, to allow essential repairs and upgrades to be made.

But those plans, priced at £4billion in 2014 but which have spiralled since, will be reconsidered by the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority.

A strategic direction for the team behind the restoration programme will not be put to MPs until the end of the year, the PAC was told on Thursday, with a detailed range of options, including a recommended course of action, not coming until afterwards.

Source: Read Full Article